We had been thinking about ways to take Cadence with us after she mentioned wanting to come, but is she also suffering the effects of the pheromones? Is that clouding her desires?
We did not mind when she was fucking us both. Will she do it again?
She glances at me. “What?”
“I didn’t speak,” Shadow says.
“No, but you are staring at me.”
“Do you often have two men?” From our research, that is not the norm here.
She presses her lips together and stares at the road as if she needs to concentrate. “That was the first, and you’re technically only one man.”
We laugh. That is true. “Did you like it?”
She pauses before answering. “Why are you asking that now?”
“Because we are trying to figure out if you want to leave because of us. Because of the pheromone interaction and the sex.”
She draws in a breath. “I can’t stay when I know the truth. I want to learn more. I want to live more.” She looks at Shadow. “And yeah, the sex was good. Um…are there some weird mating rituals I should be aware of? Did I accidentally marry you?”
“You did not. Though we would like a mate who accepts both parts of us.”
“People don’t? I thought you were a package deal.”
“It is hard for us away from our homeworld.”
“Then why leave?”
We smile. “Because we wanted to learn more and see more.”
She pulls up alongside a tall building that is behind what appears to be a flimsy fence hung with signs warning people to keep out. “This is private property, but there are people squatting here. The pool is around the back.”
She gets out of the car, and we follow, pausing only to grab Mikhail. Light makes him look more human, but it’s not the kind of thing that will hold up to scrutiny or touch. She leads us through a break in the fence that people have been using, and then toward the empty pool.
Shadow disappears into the night, drawing the darkness to him to locate the entry to the ship.
We are aware that there are people watching us pass, but they leave us alone because we are not here to hassle them about the drugs they are using to relieve their suffering.
“Shadow is at the ship.” It’s a lightweight transport, and it’s not designed for transporting people any kind of distance, though similar ships are often used to drop soldiers on planets.
“He’s not going to make it visible?”
“Not if he can help it.” The concrete pit appears to be empty except for a shadow drifting around the base.
Cadence scowls. “If we don’t have keys, how do we unlock it?”
“With the emergency unlock, every ship has one.” As I speak there is a hiss and a cavern appears in the pool.
Cadence gasps and her eyes widen. “There really is a ship in the pool.”
She runs the rest of the way, jogging down the steps and almost straight into the ship. Shadow grabs her. We are delighted to have her in our arms again and long to kiss her. Cadence stares at me and her hands land on my shoulders.
She smiles. “Can we go in?”
“I will go in first, in case there are traps.” Shadow sets her on the ground and steps inside.
The interior is dark, but it doesn’t take us long to find the auxiliary power. Red interior lights come on revealing cages filled with women along both sides.
